Last updated on July 2nd, 2020 at 11:55 am
Okay, if you’re freaking out, because you don’t know how to lose 10 pounds in a month, I’m gonna be a good human and share 5 things I have done in the past that have helped me lose weight, whenever I needed and will help you too…IF you apply them of course. They do not work if you just read over them.
So if you’re going on vacation, to a wedding or you saw a picture of yourself eating pizza and did not look like Giselle, calm down – read through these, see what you can do and what you want to do less of to get that weight off. The time is gonna go by anyway.
There were many times in my life when I needed to lose 10 pounds in a month, sometimes in a week, and in very extreme cases in an hour.
Was I successful? Yes, and no and no.
Because if you want to lose 10 pounds in a week or an hour, you must be a little insane. (not a genius – INSANE). But 10 pounds in a month? That’s good enough. Better in a month, than never.
I’ve done it before and it works – no miracle there. Just following through on things I thought might work.
Now. If you’re looking for a very realistic, foolproof way to lose 10 pounds in a month, I, the belly fat queen, am here for you!
10 pounds isn’t too much weight to lose and if you pull yourself together, you can do it! Apply these tips for a month and the fat will basically fall off your stomach. So why not just do it, okay?
How to Lose 10 Pounds In A Month – 5 Tips That Actually Worked For Me
1. Eat a Satiating Breakfast.
Let someone else drink those green smoothies and eat the croissants topped with mini doughnuts.
You need something like good old oatmeal right now – top with some fruit, nuts and you’ll be full until lunch. If you’re craving something savory, maybe an avocado & egg toast will be a better choice for you.
All that is purrrrfect as long as you stick to #2. Hehe #2.
Related: 5 Healthy Breakfasts You Can Make In 5 Minutes
If you want to start eating healthy and change your health long-term, I highly recommend getting my free clean eating grocery list and meal planner. You can download both of them along with other free resources after subscribing here.
2. If you’re not hungry yet, reach for water first
You’ll be surprised how you’re almost never hungry. When you actually reach first for water instead of food, you realize you’re almost never eating because you’re hungry. You’re eating because it’s there, or, you know – because you’re bored. Or dehydrated.
An easy trick that will help keep you from being dehydrated like a lizard all day every day is having water with you all the time. I highly recommend getting a water bottle like this one. It’s a gallon water bottle that helps you track how much water you’re drinking during the day. Make it easy for yourself to stay hydrated and always have water with you.
This simple change will make you feel more energetic and lighter – enjoy it!
3. Get physical
Get physical and exercise every day or 4-5 days a week. 30 minutes is enough, but make sure you’re SWEATING. Sweating it out will also make you happy and will motivate you to do it again TOMORROW, which is key here.
It was perhaps 2 years ago when I had stopped doing ANY exercise. I was just lazy – sitting all day and watching TV at night. I didn’t get overweight, but my chin had doubled, my arms were jiggly, my belly was spilling beautifully over the waistband and I felt like I was all over the place. No focus, and just blah.
Then I got busy. I stopped watching TV in the evening and signed up for some Pilates, Zumba and Yoga classes and additionally did basketball once a week. I felt so alive and was more focused (don’t know about yoga but try playing basketball without being in the moment – it hurts!). AND. Within a week my friends and coworkers started telling me how my face had gotten thinner and that I’ve lost weight. You can imagine how good this felt.
Exercise is not the only thing you need to be doing to lose weight, but it’s definitely A HUGE HELP when it comes to weight loss. Go at your own pace: if you need to walk – walk, if walking’s too hard – try sitting exercises, if you want to do at home workouts – try Grokker (get a free 14-day trial here). If all that’s too easy for you, go out and find what challenges you, maybe try the gym.
4. Get low after 3
At this point, we’ve all heard that low-carb diets turn you into a skinny robot with a lot of energy within a week. Science also says low-carb diets are good for you. Low-carb diets are recommended to lose weight, to reduce inflammation, to get rid of acne…no secret here.
But if you’re like me and can’t stick to low carb all the time: Stop eating carbs after 3.
I honestly got this tip from Mr. Wolverine himself – Hugh Jackman. (Disclaimer: I have not met him, and do not intend to look like him, because I’m a woman and I just like to look at him when I’m bored…)
He said his biggest tip to get in shape for X-Men was to not eat carbs after 3 pm. Ok, Wolverine, I’ll do everything you tell me to.
So, naturally, I tried this before and it works! Eat all your carbs (so grains, legumes, fruit & treats) before 3 pm and then after 3 pm, do the low-carb thing. No need to get into ketosis, it won’t make you a better person. But, as sad as it sounds – no pasta and pizza for dinner this month.
If you don’t eliminate carbs completely after 3 pm, at least be mindful & don’t overuse them. For example, I would add some quinoa or chickpeas to my salad, but not go crazy like I usually do (I have pizza, pasta & bread WAY too often for dinner).
If you don’t have much time and energy to do all the cooking, recipe choosing, and grocery shopping you can try a healthy meal kit delivery service like Sun Basket. All their meals are healthy and delicious and you can get $35 off plus 4 free gifts when you order here.
5. Stop at 5 pm
All the research I’ve read and I’ve got this tip from some TV show I watched 10 years ago.
Don’t eat after 5 pm.
Now some people say not eating after a certain hour is overrated – calories in, calories out…But it worked for me. I lost 4 pounds in 2 weeks doing this and I loved waking up with a flat stomach, which had never happened before.
I’ve heard about intermittent fasting, you’ve heard about intermittent fasting…but if you’re like me, you probably put off all your eating for late in the evening anyway. And what does all that lead to?
Overeating!
You get tired and then you go to bed, without being able to digest all the food you just ate.
Well, if you want to lose weight: change your eating habits. Eat until 5 pm.
If you can’t do that, try until 7 pm. This will give you enough time to digest, so you can sleep well.
In my experience, 5 pm works perfectly for me. I was hungry for the first 2 nights, but then I felt and slept better.
Recap:
- Start the day with a nourishing breakfast
- Have a good, well-balanced lunch, maybe a small dessert once you’re hungry
- Then a lower carb dinner
- Stop eating at 5 pm, keep yourself occupied with something productive
- exercise at home, outside or go to the gym 4-5 times a week for 30 minutes and sweat
Then have a good night sleep and do it all again the next day.
Now if you can’t stay away from food altogether after 7 pm, try some 0-calorie snacks like radishes, cucumbers or berries – all better than chips and candy.
Related articles:
- 15 healthy snacks that will solve all your clean eating problems
- How to stop overeating when life sucks and everything is so delicious
Alright, guys! I realize I didn’t sound like the “genius” I usually am in this one, but these tips actually work, so I really needed to share them! All you need to do is try for yourself and you’ll be seeing results very, very soon!
You Might Also Enjoy:
- 7-Day Clean Eating Challenge And Meal Plan
- How To Get Fit Without The Gym
- Losing Weight With A Desk Job: How To Get Fit When You’re Sitting All. Day. Long.
Thank you for sharing all of this info. I am going to try the 7pm cut off. My husband and I eat our main meal at lunch, snack around mid afternoon, which leaves evening to eat light. I am trying to do better at breakfast, which I’ve never been good at.
Working on incorporating more exercise.
Hi Trish, I’m glad you found it helpful! If you’re like me, the 7pm cut off will be tough the first 2 days, but then you’ll notice you feel a lot better! For breakfast I usually like carbs like overnight oats or some type of bread with eggs, cheese or some spread – depends what I’m in the mood for.
Definitely don’t skip it, if you’re also not going to eat after 7 pm. The other two things that are kinda easy and personally helped me are drinking water and taking short walking breaks every hour, to just stay active. Otherwise even if I eat less it’s harder for me to lose weight…
Okay, now I’ll stop! Good luck and let me know about your progress and if I can help with something, please ask!
Hi! im in middle school and i need to loose a lot of weight fast. do you recommend any exercises in particular?
You’re pretty young, so the only advice I have here is to try and create healthy habits. There’s no particular exercise or diet that I can recommend. Simply watching that you’re staying active every day, preferably doing something you truly enjoy. It’s on you to find out what it is…For example when I was younger for me it was gymnastics and basketball, even though I’m not the tallest, but it helped me stay active and healthy. I also really recommend eating everything but making fruits and vegetables a priority, about 6-7 cups and getting more sleep. I don’t know how much weight you need to lose, hopefully you’re doing it for the right reasons, just take it one step at a time and focus on long-term habits, not numbers.
These tips sound like something I can do. Over the last 7 years I dropped 85 pounds. But I’ve gained about 15 back after my divorce, moving, new city, new job and lots of great food in Texas, lol. I refuse to gain anymore and I’m adamant about losing those 15 pounds. Thank you for those tips!!!
Wow 85 pounds, great job! Yes, these have definitely worked for me, although they do require some self-discipline, but I think you definitely can do it 🙂
good to know that eventually you can lose so much weight. I’m following the just cut it method, my dream is to go from 230 to 130 lbs. after almost a year I’m in my one third. Tips from Stella sounds very good and are coherent with what i’m doing now 🙂
This is actually really good advice, nothing crazy, over-the-top, unrealistic, or disordered is suggested.
These are just good, solid reminders.
Thank you!
I am diabetic. Do you think this will work for me? I workout with Denise Austin, Margaret Richards, Gilad, and Ada Janklowicz. I usually workout 5 days a week. This week it was four, but l am going to workout today. I also have diabetic nerve pain, which really hurts. I weighed 183 pounds. I am 5ft2. I weigh 137..8 now. My weight range is 110 to 121. I am trying to reverse my diabetes. I am going to try your plan to lose ten more pounds.
Wow, Pam! Great job! As for those last few pounds, I would definitely ask my doctor! These tips are safe for the majority of people, but I know that intermittent fasting (which not eating after 5 pm is similar to) isn’t advised for diabetics. I think the most important part for you would be to keep doing what you’re doing and focus on getting more antioxidant-rich foods like low glycemic index fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, raw seeds and nuts. Also increasing your intake of omega-3 rich foods like salmon or mackerel. When you have diabetes, you would also have increased levels of chronic inflammation in the body, and eating this way should help. I wrote more about that here. Then of course – getting enough sleep and regular exercise that you enjoy, including walks and not sitting for longer than an hour (this is crucial for better insulin sensitivity!). Again, I highly recommend talking to a doctor that you trust and I hope you’re doing so much better soon! If there’s any way I could help, let me know!
Love your article! I am a shift worker and my work schedule is never the same. I work 6, 12 ir 18 hours, morning, evening and night, so I find ir hard to follow a routine and not to use food (carbs and sugar) as comfort, after a long hard night shift. Any tips for me? Entering menopause and needing to lose 10 pounds…
Hey thanx for sharing this I hope I can do dis❤️
Hello! Just wanted to share that I followed all these tips and guess what? It worked! I lost 10 whole pounds and I feel great! Thanks so much! 💕
Love it!!! I’m so glad these tips worked for you too and that you’re feeling great!
I LOVE this!!!
Hello I am 34 years old and I am a type one diabetic and take insulin 5 times a day. My current weight is 180 . What can help me lose 10 lbs with out going into a diabetic attack?
Hi Brandy, please talk to your doctor about this
No carbs after 3:00 and no food after 5:00 sounds doable! I like that you’re not recommending extreme things; just healthy changes. Thanks.
hope it helps, it truly makes a difference!
Thank you for this light, fun and helpful post! I been following your tips the past 6 days after trying so many new things such as counting my calories, working out more and drinking fiber and nothing was giving me results! But the past 5days I ser an alarm to stop eating carbs at 3pm and dinner by 5pm! Surprisingly it was natural and so helpful for my issue with belly bloat! I am finally down 2pounds!🙌🏽 Now need to figure out how to keep this new routine as we head to our vacation in two days. Any tips?
So happy to hear Lisa! On vacation, I’d just continue eating low carb whenever possible and maybe just avoid snacking…I wouldn’t try to control too much, just drink enough water. It’s a vacation after all, you don’t want to be overthinking what and how you eat. The good thing is now you know something that works for you and you can always get back to it when you’re back. I hope this helps, have fun and enjoy!